As the first semester drew to a close, the rhythm of daily life had settled in. The first-grade students were kept busy with a steady schedule of cultural classes, physical education, and Chakra extraction exercises. Aside from the students in Class 1, Grade 1, others were strongly encouraged to drop out. Becoming a ninja was an extraordinarily rare feat. Not only was the entrance exam grueling, but the graduation exam was even more challenging. Graduation, in essence, wasn't truly graduation at all. If a student couldn't earn the approval of a Jonin, they'd be sent back to the academy to retake the course. The failure rate was absurdly high.
And that was just the path from apprentice Ninja to Genin. Beyond that were the ranks of Chunin, Special Jonin, and the versatile Jonin. But for Izanami and Shino, none of this mattered. After the first two weeks, Izanami stopped attending classes in person. He only showed up for the Taijutsu duels, and only then did his real body take part.
Izanami's reasons for being at the Ninja Academy were clear—Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke. More specifically, he had his eyes set on their red entries. Before the school year ended, Izanami needed to expose at least one or two of their red entries. If he waited until after graduation, it would become exponentially more difficult. It wasn't a matter of strength—it was about the rarity of encounters and battles, which would be much harder to engineer later.
Graduation came in March, and the Chunin Exams followed in early July—key events of the year. A short time in between. Ding-ling-ling… The bell rang, signaling the end of another day. Some students left to go home, while others stayed behind, inviting friends to form small groups. Izanami, being quite popular, received his fair share of invitations. Despite only sending his shadow clone to school, he was always warm and considerate, greeting others with a smile and turning down invitations with charm.
"Already invited away again? Izanami is really popular," some students remarked as they watched him politely decline.
"Next time, let's all play Ninja games together!" another said, though they didn't press the matter.
With a friendly smile, Izanami's shadow clone put his hands together. "Sorry, I've already made plans with someone else. But next time, definitely next time!"
After the clone left school, it slipped into a narrow alley and dispelled, returning all the memories and fatigue to Izanami's real body.
Resting at home, having just finished training, Izanami murmured to himself as he processed the day's experiences: "The holidays are coming soon... It's time to make a move."
July 20th.
After the morning classes, lunchtime arrived. Some students lived close enough to home that they went back to eat, while others stayed in the classroom, unpacking their lunch boxes. Izanami usually went home for lunch, as his shadow clone attended school for him. But today, he made a rare appearance in his real body, bringing a lunch box with him. He sat across from Hinata, the two of them eating quietly together in the classroom.
In the three months since they had met, Izanami and Hinata had become friends. Though they didn't share everything with each other, they had come to know each other's little quirks and hobbies. Hinata's love for pressing flowers, for example, was something Izanami had learned. She, in turn, had discovered that her desk mate was actually Izanami's shadow clone. The revelation had shocked her at first. Her mouth had dropped open, and her eyes widened in disbelief. But then, the admiration she felt for him only deepened. To master the Shadow Clone Technique before the academy even taught the Three Body Technique was nothing short of remarkable.
As they ate together, Izanami casually asked, "Hinata, the holiday's tomorrow. What do you plan to do?"
Hinata looked up at him, her voice soft as always. "I'll probably be training at home."
Izanami smiled and extended an invitation. "Would you like to train with me?"
"C-can I?" Hinata's surprise was evident in her eyes, her voice barely above a whisper.
Before Izanami could respond, Hinata shook her head with a defeated expression. "That's not possible… Father doesn't allow me to go out alone."
Since the kidnapping incident, Hinata was required to have a guard accompany her whenever she left the house. She was also restricted from going out frequently, especially now that she had entered Ninja School. With the presence of an Uchiha in her class, she had to work even harder to uphold her clan's honor and ensure she wasn't overshadowed by the Uchiha Clan.
"Hey… don't worry about that stuff," Izanami said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm just asking if you want to go out and train with me during the holidays."
Hinata lowered her head and took a bite of her food, replying in a barely audible voice. "Mm…"
"Alright, I'll help you tomorrow, then…" Izanami leaned in close to Hinata's ear and whispered his plan.
The warmth of his breath sent a wave of heat to her cheeks and ears, causing them to flush bright red. Her hand, still holding her chopsticks, trembled slightly. It was the first time she had been this close to Izanami, and all the calmness she had built up over the past three months seemed to vanish in an instant.
Thankfully, Hinata's reaction wasn't as extreme as in the original story—she didn't faint from embarrassment. But her mind went completely blank, and she couldn't remember what Izanami had just said.
"...Remember, you need to take the initiative tomorrow, or my plan won't work," Izanami said, a playful note in his voice.
"Oh… oh…" Hinata nodded absentmindedly, looking both cute and somewhat silly.
She then looked up at Izanami again, her cheeks still flushed. "J-Juuyabiru… What… what did you just say?"
Izanami sighed in exasperation. Without warning, he flicked Hinata's forehead with a sharp tap.
"Ah!" Hinata winced slightly, and her eyes sparkled with a mixture of surprise and innocence.
With a soft chuckle, Izanami repeated his plan, making sure she understood.
Hinata covered her forehead with her hand, her beautiful eyes shining. She nodded again, though a bit sheepishly.
The next day, the Ninja School began its forty-day summer vacation.
Izanami stepped out of his house and into a quiet alley. With a sharp pop, like a balloon bursting, a transformation took place. A blonde girl, wearing a hat that partially covered her hair, emerged from the alley, walking briskly toward the Hyuga Clan.
If any classmates from Class 1 were present, they would immediately recognize the girl as Ino Yamanaka.
"Hello, my name is Ino Yamanaka," Izanami, now fully transformed into the blonde girl, said with a bright, sweet smile to the guard at the gate of the Hyuga Clan. "I'm here to ask Hinata to go out and play. We made plans yesterday."
The two guards exchanged a glance.
"Please wait a moment," one of them said politely, bowing before heading into the clan grounds.
It didn't take long before the guard returned, this time accompanied by Hinata. She wore a white trench coat, her footsteps light as she trotted over to Izanami. She smiled shyly at the girl who appeared to be Ino Yamanaka.
The plan was going smoothly. Hinata was finally able to leave the compound.
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